'16 and Pregnant' Recap: Alex Made the Wrong Choice

Tuesday night's episode of MTV's 16 and Pregnantwas as heartbreaking an episode as I remember. Adoption, though usually a better decision for these girls, does make for a heart-wrenching episode. But Alex, predictably, decides against adoption, which ends up just being the wrong choice for so many reasons.

As much as my heart went out to her, her decision to keep the baby was a huge mistake. In fact, of all the parents ever on this show, it's possible Alex's baby daddy was the single worst. And he has a lot of competition.

It isn't that he is mean, he is just a party boy whose priorities are clearly not toward his girlfriend or baby.

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Throughout the episode he seemed sweaty and strung out most of the time. The scenes during her ultrasound and her simple requests of him were just depressing. Yes, he is a kid and no one is saying he has to "step up." After all, it was Alex's decision to keep the baby against his will. But he couldn't even sober up enough to help her through the hard parts?

He also made this baby and is taking zero responsibility even for helping her make the adoption decision. He left her before the baby was even born. As annoying as teen girls are, believing in terrible men, MTV also shows us that teen boys are completely idiotic layabouts. Is this the truth?

It makes no sense that she decided to keep her baby, lovely as she is. Getting pregnant as a teen isn't ideal in any way, but someone who is old enough to get pregnant also ought to be old enough to make the right choices.

Was keeping Arabella really the BEST possible plan for either her or her baby? Alex couldn't even go to her job because her boyfriend, who agreed to babysit, can't even be bothered to show up. Does this sound like a person who is ready to be a parent?

Some of the girls on past shows are more ready than others, but sometimes adoption is the kinder, more mature choice. No one thinks it's easy. I can't even imagine being asked to make a decision like that at such a young age. But if you decide to have sex and you fall pregnant, then you also have to make mature decisions.

Now Arabella will probably repeat her mother's mistakes. It's heartbreaking and it could have been avoided.